STRATEGIC LAND DEVELOPMENT - BO'NESS

Bo'ness

Our journey began in 2007 when entered into an option agreement for land at Bo’ness, Falkirk, in a joint venture with AWG Property Limited.

From the outset, we identified that the planning strategy that would have the most successful outcome would be a phased approach, rather than promote the site as one large scale development with the capacity for over 1000 homes.

We successfully sold the first phase to Miller Homes, circa 200 units, in 2016.

In 2020, we secured an allocation in the Falkirk Council Local Plan with an indicative capacity for 450 units for the second phase of the site. The allocation also included both commercial and landscaped open amenity space. To secure the allocation, we prepared a full suite of technical information, including landscaping review and transport review.

In autumn of 2020 we carried out a marketing campaign and interviewed several PLC housebuilders. We selected the preferred bidder, Robertson Homes, to take forward a planning application.

In 2021 we submitted a planning application for 450 homes and in October 2022 we secured a recommendation for planning minded to grant subject to Section 75 Agreement. During the spring/summer 2023 we negotiated the Section 75 agreement which was concluded in December 2023. The land sale to Robertson Homes for the site of 250 homes completed in April 24.

We are very proud that our most recent land sale was secured at a time of low confidence in the marketplace.

Collaboration is at the heart of our approach at Mac Mic Group. We work closely with local stakeholders and politicians to identify community issues and explore how our proposals can contribute to positive solutions.

For the second phase we engaged in an extensive community consultation process, which included spending a day in the local Tesco supermarket. We were keen to interview the local community as part of their day-to-day routine when it would be more convenient for them, rather than asking them to attend a specific event in a community hall.

On a political level we engaged with the local councillors on the terms of the Section 75 Agreement which included new healthcare contributions and new linkages into the core path network.

Building on the successful sale to Robertson Homes, Mac Mic Group plans to market and sell the third phase of the allocation in summer 2024, aiming for completion by the end of the year or early 2025.

This project exemplifies our commitment to strategic development and community engagement in Bo'ness, a place where the company has a strong history, having previously built over 450 homes at The Drum during the days of our homebuilding division.